Posted Thu May 18 10:48:05 EAT 2017

Senators to grill Governor Mandago over county funds

By IBRAHIM ORUKO

Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago is expected to appear before a Senate committee Thursday to respond to audit queries related to the county.

Mr Mandago was expected to appear before the County Public Accounts and Investment Committee on Wednesday but did not show up.

The governor sent his deputy, Daniel Chemno, who told the committee Mr Mandago could not appear due to unavoidable circumstances.

The committee however turned away Mr Chemno and other senior county chiefs because House rules only recognise governors as the CEO of the counties.

Senator Henry Ole Ndiema wondered what was so important to the governor than answering questions related to expenditure of county.

“This committee only listens to the governor who is legally recognised as the CEO of the county. The buck stops with him and we shall not waste time entertaining deviations,” Senator Kimani Wamatangi, (Kiambu, Jubilee) who chaired Wednesday’s session, told the deputy governor.

“We are aware the governor is in Nairobi. We have reports that he was seen somewhere in this city earlier today (Wednesday) and therefore we order that he appears before this committee on Thursday without fail.”

Mr Wamatangi warned that failure by the governor to appear will leave the committee with no choice but proceed to consider the audit report without the involvement of the county.

The committee will on Wednesday, May 24 hold a meeting with key institutions of state concerned with integrity issues to try to explore ways of ensuring those county chiefs who have defied its summons are not cleared to contest in the August elections.

The institutions include are the electoral commission, the Judiciary, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Controller of Budget, Inspector General, the Council of Governors, the Principal and Cabinet Secretaries in the National Treasury.